Blues master, John Mayall, and his superlative all-star band made a welcome return visit to Tucson’s Rialto Theatre on February 1st. It was a night of pure blues music that would allow any blues fan to revel in the blues all night long.
Mayall was born in the United Kingdom and was drawn to American bluesmen from an early age. He taught himself to play keyboards, guitar, and harmonica. Mayall has surrounded himself with some of the most prized musicians of the last century. He has helped to cultivate the talent of Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor, Peter Green, Paul Butterfield, Walter Trout, Coco Montoya and John McVie to name a few. Recently Mayall was asked, “What was it like to play with a young Eric Clapton? Was he rough around the edges when he played with you in The Blues Breakers?” Mayall replied, “He only played a year with us. And he was good, real good! Everyone who plays with me is good!”
Now, 60 years into his career, he is still fronting his bands with top-notch plyers, as his band includes Carolyn Wonderland on guitar and vocals, Greg Rzab on bass, and Jay Davenport on drums. Wonderland has had a reputation as a guitar slinger for many years and a ‘good’ one. If you close your eyes sometimes when she is singing, you might imagine you are listening to Janis. Wonderland is the only female guitar player Mayall has ever had in any of his bands. Her performance during this show was nothing less than stellar. She had two opportunities to unleash her incredible talent on “It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry” and “Two Trains.” She has a relentless attack on her guitar as it sweetly sings to the crowd. Incidentally, Wonderland never plays with a pick.
Rzab seemed to hold back on his electric bass early in the show, but later in the set, one would think he was playing a lead guitar with his bass. He was trading licks with Wonderland and Mayall. It was a feverish performance that infected everyone in the house, in a great way. Rzab has a rich history having played with Otis Rush, Buddy Guy, Black Crowes, Gov’t Mule and Jimmy Page.
Chicago’s Davenport has a long resume that includes working with Junior Wells, Pinetop Perkins, Jimmie Johnson, Melvin Taylor, and many more. He has played drums for Mayall for over ten years. This show found him keeping the musicians on time and in the pocket. “Chicago Line” was the big number that left ample room for everyone to solo.
Mayall is pushing 87, but age is just a number with him. It was rumored prior to the show that he was ’under the weather.’ He was on top of his game as he multitasked playing two instruments at the same time throughout the show. The set showcased songs from his entire career From Otis Rush’s “All Your Love (I Miss Loving)” to Little Junior Parker’s “Mother-In-Law Blues.” Mayall was thoroughly enjoying the interaction he had with the band and the fans. It seemed that his energy was derived from his live performance. He certainly energized the crowd. ‘The Godfather of British Blues’ gave us the best blues performance once again and we were loving it.
Local Tucson bluesman, Tom Walbank, was the perfect show opener with his gritty blues chops as a vocalist, guitar, and harmonica player. His set was a combination of traditional blues covers and original songs delivered in true blues fashion. Walbank is a well-kept secret who should be known everywhere. He IS that talented.
